How to Tune an Instrument
by funkdaddy2012
Summary: Nico is the leader of a new band that's been allowed to do a mini tour. He and his band are going places! Will is crazy talented at singing, but he's stuck behind the counter of his friend's bar. What will happen when Nico's band stops by to play a little something? MUSIC AU, MUSIC!WILL HEADCANON, M for language and later stuff ;) WILL CONTINUE WITHIN THE MONTH
1. With the Strum of the Guitar

_**Hey guys! I've always loved a good Musician AU, and therefore I've written one. In this fic, Will Solace can sing, despite the canon contrary. Throughout the story, I will be using multiple songs written by different people, and although I will be using them, I do not own them. I also do not own the Percy Jackson characters. Enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 1: With the Strum of a Guitar**

Nico grunted as he helped Connor and Travis lift the drums into the back of the bus. Connor and Travis, Nico's bandmates, were eager to get on the road, and Nico didn't blame them. Their record company had decided that it would be a good idea for the three of them to go tour the smaller cities in the US to help promote the record label and their band, and the Stoll brothers had been more than excited.

The three of them had discovered each other a couple years ago at summer camp. Nico had been sitting at his table, alone as usual, singing softly to himself. He had always done it, especially when he was feeling lonely, and today he was feeling a bit shut out from the others. His group of "friends" that he normally hung out with had just found out that he was gay, and had promptly and not at all politely cut him out from the group. Naturally, Nico had felt the pain of rejection, but he had felt it before and simply went to a different table, where he was left alone. Two years later, and the table was unofficially officially called the "Death by Rainbows" table, and Nico continued sitting alone.

Nico didn't know when he had started singing as a way to cope. In fact, most of the people around him (when not laughing at him or ignoring him) would say that he wasn't musical _at all._ It simply wasn't what Nico was into! He was into death and scowling and guys, not music. Of course, no one bothered asking Nico what he was into or what he liked, and he would have (albeit grudgingly) agreed that, yes, he was into death and scowling at people who got too close to him and guys, but he always had his earbuds in, listening to music. He loved everything, well, everything except for country music. If one got lucky enough to get into his playlists, one would find rap music, movie soundtracks, show tunes, pop songs, and more.

But no one cared. So Nico just sat at his table, with his earbuds in, singing softly along to whatever was playing. This was the routine every day at camp during his free period. He wasn't bothering anyone, and no one bothered him.

One raining day, however, changed everything. Because of the sudden thunderstorm and the onslaught of rain, everyone was gathered under the pavilion, both disappointed because of the cancelled activities but pleased at the sudden free time. Nico had just shrugged and walked back to his table, which was off in one of the corners inside. No one was around, so instead of putting his earbuds in, Nico decided to plug in his speaker. He didn't have it very loud, and no one looked his way when he turned on his music, so he just left it as it was and leaned back, propping his feet up. No one noticed him.

 _If you want it, take it_

 _I should have said it before_

 _Tried to hide it, fake it_

 _I can't pretend anymore_

Except for the Stoll brothers. They had been sorely disheartened at the unexpected rain, but there wasn't much else to do.

"It's too bad it rained," Connor said, wringing out his soaking shirt. Both of the boys had been caught in the middle of a field when the rain had hit, so by the time they had made it to the pavilion, the damage had been done. They were both dripping wet and other campers had almost automatically stepped aside for the brothers to get inside. "We would have been able to do the prank on Jason."

"Yeah," Travis agreed, taking off his shirt and shoes. "We'll have to do it tomorrow."

"Hey, do you hear music…?" Connor asked suddenly. He looked around until he saw Nico in the back corner, singing softly along to the music playing from his phone. The brothers looked at each other and shrugged before making their way over to Nico. Neither of the boys had a problem with Nico being gay. In fact, the two brothers were considering calling themselves bi or bi-curious themselves. They didn't like how the other campers openly hated Nico even though Nico did nothing malicious towards them.

 _I only want to die alive_

 _Never by the hands of a broken heart_

 _Don't wanna hear you lie tonight_

 _Now that I've become who I really am_

"Is he singing?" Travis whispered to Connor as they got closer. "He's really good…"

Connor looked over at Travis with a grin on his face. "Let's go join him," he said with a grin. He paused a moment to identify the song Nico was singing, but quickly started humming the bass line. Travis caught on and started singing the harmony, much to the surprise of Nico, who quickly stopped singing.

 _This is the part when I say I don't want ya_

 _I'm stronger than I've been before_

 _This is the part when I break free_

 _Cause I can't resist it no more_

The two brothers grabbed a chair each and sat down next to him. Travis looked at Nico and waved his hands while still singing, motioning for Nico to continue. Nico narrowed his eyes, but kept going. Soon, Nico was belting out the verses equally as loud as the Stoll's. They were dancing on the table and strumming air guitars. All three were pleased at how their voices had all blended together, and all three were lost in the music.

When the music finally stopped, Nico looked up and he saw the other two panting on top of the table. He was standing on a chair with one of his hands above his head and the other off to the side, dramatically. He looked around the room and saw that, unlike before, the room was filled with astonished people. The other campers stood in silence and shock, gaping at the three who had turned the commons room into a stage.

 _Thought on your body I came alive_

 _It was lethal, it was fatal_

 _In my dreams it felt so right_

 _But I woke up every time_

Nico's face turned beet red, and he slowly lowered his hands. Connor and Travis clambered down from the table and ran up to Nico. Suddenly, the crowd burst out in applause and cheering. The brothers turned around and did the most comical bow ever, much to the crowd's amusement. The two brothers turned and looked at Nico with huge grins plastered on their faces.

Nico didn't know what to do. This was the first time anyone had given him any attention in a really long time, and Nico couldn't remember how to respond, so he did what instincts told him. He turned and ran out the door as fast as he could into the rain. He didn't stop running until he had reached one of the large oak trees that surrounded the outer edges of the courtyard. He sat down, landing in a puddle of mud, but he didn't care. He knew what happened next. He knew that at any moment, the swarm of people would come out and do their worst, telling him that he was only being a nuisance and he was already enough trouble. He leaned back against the tree and braced himself for the worst.

The Stoll brothers were confused. What had they done wrong? Nico had just run off to gods know where. The two shared a look before hopping down from the table and following the boy. The crowd murmured in confusion before slowly following the two brothers.

"Where did he go?" Connor asked Travis as they dashed out the door.

"I'm not sure," Travis gasped. The two peered into the rain, trying to make out the shapes that were shrouded in the downpour. They could barely make out the running form of Nico as he dashed into the trees.

"There he is, let's go," Connor stated. He and Travis took off running, unaware of the large crowd following them. They reached the tree a couple seconds later. Nico was laying against the tree, his face wet with tears and rain. His face was red, and his eyes filled with embarrassment. Connor could see Nico cringing, but he sensed this wasn't the first time Nico acted this way.

"What's wrong?" Travis implored, squatting down besides the boy. "Are you ok?"

Nico shook his head, and curled into a ball. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done that," Nico whispered. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"What trouble?" Connor cried out, throwing his arms up. "You did nothing wrong! And you have to admit you had fun." Nico turned to look at Connor, who offered back a smile. Nico looked down at the ground and nodded weakly.

"I did have fun," Nico admitted softly. He sat up again, bringing his knees to his chest. "But why did you do it? You barely know me. And I'm sure you know that my reputation isn't the best."

"Neither is ours," Travis replied, "and we don't care about your reputation. And as for not knowing you, well, we'd like to get to know you more." Nico looked at Travis again, though this time a look of confusion and shock was etched across his face.

"Yeah, Nico," Connor agreed, "We don't care if your gay or not. That's your own thing. We want to get to know you better 'cause tonight, we rocked it!"

"Didn't you notice how we were completely in sync?" Travis asked, grabbing Nico's hands. The smaller boy looked down at Travis's hands stunned, as if he had never had that happen to him. Travis turned his head to look at Connor. "We should do something with him. Maybe for the talent show?"

"But I'm not even good," Nico said, mumbling into his legs. Connor looked at Travis with a look of mild disgust before squatting down on the other side of Nico.

"Kid, you sing amazingly. I have no idea where that voice came from but it was beautiful. _I_ have a good voice already and I envy your talent," Connor reassured, putting his hand on Nico's shoulder. Nico looked up at Connor, and Connor was shocked to see a new pair of eyes. Gone was the dead look that was normally on Nico's face. Now, Nico's eyes were alive and sparkling, and Connor loved it. He swore to himself to help Nico keep those eyes, because they too were beautiful.

"Connor, doesn't Dad know a guy who works in the entertainment business…?" Travis asked. Connor tore his gaze from Nico's eyes and looked at his brother. He furrowed his brow trying to remember before nodding emphatically.

"Maybe in the future we could start something serious!" Connor suggested.

"I don't know," Nico hesitated. It was at that moment when Travis noticed the rest of the camp surrounding their tree. Travis stood up and turned toward the crowd.

"Hey guys, did we sound good?" Travis asked the other campers. The campers let out a loud cheer and started applauding, much to Nico's surprise. Travis turned toward Nico again. "Do you know now?"

 _This is the part when I say I don't want ya_

 _I'm stronger than I've been before_

 _This is the part when I break free_

 _Cause I can't resist it no more_

Nico stood up and nodded, blushing. Travis and Connor grinned as they patted each other and Nico on the back. The rain had finally stopped, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds, shining through the leaves and hitting the boys.

For the rest of their time at camp, the boys had come up with different songs, and, with the help of the camp director, had gotten their hands on more instruments. Nico and Travis could play guitar, though Travis preferred the drums, and Connor could play bass guitar. Nico was appointed as lead singer, and after mastering singing _and_ playing the guitar at the same time, was able to confidently play rifts while belting out the verses.

The next year at camp, the three immediately got together to rehearse for that year's talent show. Nico had been convinced to play the show only after months of being pestered by the Stolls. In the end, he caved, partially because he agreed that getting their first concert out of the way would be good for him, and partially because they had _gotten really annoying._

Near the end of camp, the night finally came. The boys got on stage after a disturbingly awful clarinet performance. Nico stared out at the crowd of people, who sat up in their seats. Over the past year, the other campers had slowly opened up to Nico, and while they were far from being friends, they occasionally high-fived him or nodded at him instead of throwing insults at him. Nico didn't mind, though. He didn't really want to get to know the other campers anyway. Connor and Travis were already too much to handle, and he couldn't imagine dealing with more.

Nico turned around to look at Travis, who nodded and got into position. Instead of trying out one of their original songs, the three of them had decided to play it safe and a cover. Nico raised his guitar and started playing. After a couple seconds, Travis joined in, and Nico started singing.

 _Right, right, turn off the lights_

 _We're gonna lose our minds tonight_

 _What's the deal, yo?_

Nico felt really nervous. Connor had told him that that was okay if his nerves were getting the worst of him, so he closed his eyes and forced his mind to slow down. He focused on the beat, his hands moving on their own, playing the guitar chords like they were separate beings. He was glad he had practiced so much.

 _I love when it's all too much_

 _5 a.m. turn the radio up_

 _Where's the rock 'n roll?_

Nico smiled into the mic. He had no idea that this would be this much fun! He turned around to look at Connor, who grinned back at him.

 _Party crasher, panty snatcher_

 _Call me up if you're a gangsta_

 _Don't be fancy, just get dancy_

 _Why so serious?_

Nico looked out at the crowd. Those who knew the song were standing up and dancing, and grabbed their water bottles in preparation for the chorus. Nico smiled again, relishing in the adrenaline and the heat of the stage lights.

 _So raise your glass if you are wrong_

 _In all the right ways_

 _All my underdogs!_

Some in the crowd had jumped onto their feet, some were standing on chairs, and all were dancing to the beat of the song. Those with water bottles raised them above their heads, singing along.

 _We will never be, never be anything but loud_

 _And nitty, gritty, dirty little freaks_

Nico was singing at the top of his lungs into the mic, dancing around while playing the guitar. He wished he had a face mic, but the camp wasn't _that_ cool. Sweat was running down his face, but he didn't care.

 _Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass!_

 _Just come on and come on and raise your glass!_

* * *

After the concert was over, Nico was exhausted. He grabbed one of the chairs off stage and slumped down into it, stretching out and yawning. He watched the unfortunate few who had to stay behind and help clean up and chuckled. Suddenly, a hand clapped onto his shoulder, making Nico jump. He turned around and saw Travis and Conner, who were equally sweaty and just as exhausted-looking.

"You did amazing!" Connor exclaimed. He grabbed another chair and sat down next to Nico, who just smiled.

"Thanks," Nico grinned. He closed his eyes yawned again, letting his head fall behind his chair.

"No seriously, you did awesome! You didn't even look nervous!" Travis praised. He just sat on the floor, and leaned against the back of Nico's chair.

"I _was_ nervous," Nico said, "but I loved it! It was so much fun!"

The three smiled, to tired to say anymore. They sat there until the camp director came and kicked them out, telling them to head back to their cabins. The three dragged themselves to bed, and the trio had a good night sleep.

The next day at lunch, Connor and Nico were sitting at their table discussing end-of-summer plans when Travis came running up.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Travis asked excitedly. He was jumping up and down, clutching his phone in one of his hands.

"You finally got expelled from school?" Connor teased. Nico rolled his eyes.

"What's up, Travis?" Nico asked. Travis momentarily glared at Connor before resuming his previous actions.

"Someone posted a video of our performance online and it's already hit one million views!" Travis blurted out. Nico looked stunned, and Connor dropped his fork.

"WHAT?! Let me see!" Connor exclaimed, standing up. Travis eagerly showed Connor the video, which clearly showed Nico, Connor, and Travis's performance the night before. "How did it get so many views so quickly?"

"I don't know!" Travis responded. He and Connor were giggling like little school girls, but Nico just sat there, staring at the phone. Travis finally noticed this and frowned. "Nico, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm cool. Read me the comments." Nico answered, still appearing emotionless. Travis looked at Connor, who shrugged. Travis handed Nico the phone, who scrolled down to the comments section.

 _"These guys are awesome! What's the name of this band?"_

 _"Woah. They're good. I want them on my phone!"_

 _"Where can I get more of their stuff? This is amazing!"_

 _"This is my new favorite band! And they're all cute!"_

"Oh dang," Connor said. He sat down. Travis and Nico looked at him. "Guys, you know what this means, right?"

"What, that we're internet famous?" Travis retorted, earning himself a smack upside the head, courtesy of Nico.

"No dummy. It means that we should contact our Dad's friend," Connor exclaimed. Travis and Nico both gaped at Connor. "The fact that so many people _watched_ our video and _liked_ it shows us that we could probably make it big!" Connor continued.

"Let's slow down a minute," Nico interrupted. "Even if we do make it into the music business, our entire lives would change. We would constantly be on the move if we go on tour. We would have to go 100% into this."

"I'm willing," Travis stated. He took a big swig of Connor's drink, who gasped in mock offense. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes. This will be fun!"

"I am too," Connor said. He snatched his drink back from Travis. "You in, Nico? We kinda aren't anything without you."

Nico looked between the two brothers, who both were gazing at him with puppy dog eyes. Nico tried to keep himself together, but he cracked. He sighed and grinned. "I'm in."

Connor and Travis whooped before grabbing their phones.

Many phone calls, one demo, and ten months later, Travis and Connor found themselves at the end of their school year, eagerly awaiting the end of the exam period so they could find out their results. The proctor had forced them to turn off their phones before the exam, and in five minutes, they could turn them back on. Their father had promised them that he would text them the news.

 _RING_

The final bell rang and Travis leapt from his seat. He snatched his phone and he and Connor bolted out the door.

"Turn it on! Turn it on!" Connor shouted. The anticipation had left him sweating in his seat, and the entire time, he had ended up staring at his phone as if the sheer willpower for it to give him what he wanted would help him.

"I am!" Travis reassured. As soon as his phone powered on, he saw the text alert bubble. He eagerly tapped it and read it aloud to his brother. "Apollo got back to me. He said he loved your demo and would love to sign you over! Oh my gods!" Travis shouted with glee. Connor jumped up and down, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hey! We need to go tell Nico! He's in the other building, I think!" Connor gasped. Travis quickly turned to look at his brother before nodding, and the two turned and ran in the direction of Nico's classroom.

That summer, the boys didn't go to camp. Instead, they all stayed at the Stolls house, writing songs and testing out music. Twelve months, two additional band members, and lots of coffee later, the boys had completed their album and gotten the approval for a five state tour.

Nico had discovered that it was pretty easy transitioning from the life he had to the life of a music star. He had a lot more to do, like completing the last few online classes he had left of his senior year and writing new songs. But he enjoyed all of it. This was an adventure he didn't know he always wanted.

"Yo, Nico, help us with the rest of this stuff," Travis yelled at Nico, yanking him from his thoughts. Nico looked up and saw Travis and Connor trying to haul suitcases into the back of the bus. The new band members, Cecil on piano and Lou Ellen on acoustic guitar, were on board the bus stocking up the fridge with drinks and snacks. Nico sighed and ran up to the brothers and helped them out.

After finally getting everything packed up, everyone loaded up and strapped in. Nico glanced at Travis, who gave him a thumbs up, and Connor, who just grinned at him. Nico smiled back and looked out the window, watching clouds move through the sky. This was going to be a fun ride.

 _ **Hey guys! So, how did you like it? If you DID like it, I would very much like to hear from you! If you want me to continue the story, leave a review and follow the story! If I don't get any reviews or stuff, I probably won't work on the story, since I have other stories that I need to be working on.**_

 _ **The songs that were used in this chapter were "Break Free" by Ariana Grande and "Raise Your Glass" by P!nk. OBVIOUSLY I don't own the songs, and I don't take credit for writing them.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed! Until next time!**_


	2. Talking to the Moon

_**Hey everyone! I've gotten some good feedback from the last chapter, so I'll happily continue. Thank you to everyone who left a review! Without further ado, here's chapter 2!**_

 **Chapter 2: Talking to the Moon**

"Hey Will, wanna fill the mic tomorrow night? The person who was scheduled to come in fell sick and she won't be able to make it," Percy asked, glancing up from washing the glasses. Will looked at Percy with surprise. If Percy was asking him, then he was desperate. Usually, there were people lined up at the door waiting to sing at the popular _Nectar Falls_ , a bar/café that had that quiet bookstore feel.

"Sure," Will responded before turning back to the table that he was wiping down. The last time Percy asked him to sing, he had gotten more than $50 in tips. It had been a great night. He loved the feeling he got when he was behind the mic. The smell of the metal, the heat of the spotlight on his forehead, and the nervousness that came to him every time he glanced out at the crowd were things he cherished.

"Have enough songs to fill up the hour," Percy said before locking the drink cabinet up. Will nodded in agreement before putting the cleaning supplies away. He and Percy clocked out and soon Will was on the bus heading home. It had been a long week filled with spilled glasses, broken tables, drunks hitting on women, drunks hitting on _him_. Will was ready for it to be over.

Will was greeted to the same sight that he faced every evening: an empty couch surrounded by sheets of music and broken pencils. He remembered back when he would come home to someone sitting on the couch, waiting for him to come home…

 _ **I know you're somewhere out there**_

 _ **Somewhere far away**_

He was glad he still had his old laptop. It was the only thing that had decent recording equipment on it, and if he was performing tomorrow, then he would need to have some backup tunes, just in case. He grabbed the laptop and set up his stuff, plugging his guitar into the jack.

The guitar had been given to him a long time ago, from his brother. Well, technically it was a gift from his father, but Michael had been the one to deliver the package, and neither of them ever really saw their father, so Will liked to think that it was a gift from his brother.

 _"Hey Will, I have a present for you," Michael announced, grinning from ear to ear._

 _"What is it?" young Will asked, giggling as he jumped up and down from excitement. Michael reached behind the couch and pulled out the acoustic guitar. Will gasped, his eyes growing with surprise and joy. He gave a cry of thanks as he gave his brother a hug, but when he pulled away, Will's eyes grew sad._

 _"What's wrong?" Michael asked, "You like it, don't you?"_

 _"Yeah," Will said, looking down at his hands, "but I don't know how to play guitar…"_

 _Michael laughed, and ruffled Will's curls, much to Will's indignation. "It's ok, kiddo. I can teach you!" Will's eyes lit up again, and he grinned up at his older brother._

 _"You will?"_

 _"Of course."_

Will sighed. Life had been easier back then. The guitar had gotten him a lot of friends. Heck, it had gotten him a girl, which had been _amazing_. But now, Will was alone.

 _"I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"_

 _"No, Will. I promise. It's just, it was a one-time thing. I hope you understand…"_

 _ **I want you back….**_

 _ **I want you back…**_

She left him, time became a blur. He remembered people trying to comfort him. He remembered moving out with Michael to their new apartment, the one that he stayed in now.

 _ **My neighbors think I'm crazy, but they don't understand**_

 _ **You're all I had…**_

 _ **You're all I had…**_

Three hours later, and Will decided he was done. He had transposed some other music for piano and had cleaned up his songs. He was _definitely_ tired now, so he again did his ritual. After brushing his teeth, he climbed into a bed meant for two people, staring at the empty spot next to him before drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

The next day went by relatively quickly, but he was lost in thought. The pressure behind his eyes didn't seem to want to stop building, and he found it _incredibly_ distracting. He had taken the orders of more than two people wrong, and eventually Percy just dismissed him to the back room, saying that he "needed some time to sort things out".

Unfortunately, that was the last thing Will wanted. The memories of just _being_ with someone was enough to push him to the edge of tears. He had found that he relied on it. It wasn't the person he missed, it was the companionship. The relationship. The closeness….

He heard Percy's call, the notice that it was his time to perform. Will walked up the steps in a nearly drunken fashion, stumbling as he reached the top, but the audience didn't respond, just like normal.

Will sat down at the piano bench with a huff. The crowd grew quieter, but not silent.

 _The tension was real. Will had no idea what was going on, but he was concerned. She had come back home like normal, but she didn't give him the daily kiss on the cheek like normal. She had eaten in silence, her only sound being the slurp of the freshly made soup that had been placed in front of her. Will couldn't help stare at her, his inner self screaming out to help her, to ask what was wrong. But he just sat there, watching her movements. She mumbled thanks when he took her bowl, and she walked into their bedroom._

 _That night, no one talked, yet the room was filled with the sound of her tossing and turning, looking for that comfortable position that was the key to sleep._

 _The next morning, she was gone. The note on the table said that it wasn't his fault, but it was hers. She had fallen in love with someone long ago._

The sadness came over him until he couldn't stand it. He opened his eyes and glared at the piano. He placed his hands over the keys and started to play.

 _ **At night when the stars light up my room**_

 _ **I sit by myself**_

Will could feel himself giving into the song, into the lyrics. He wanted _someone_. The notes drifted through the room, stirring the audience. Something was different.

 _ **Talking to the moon**_

 _ **Trying to get to you**_

 _"Will, you need to calm down. I promise life will be better," Michael had tried consoling him, but to no avail._

 _"You don't understand, Michael. I swear she's a good person…" Will had sobbed into his pillow._

 _"Will, she had been cheating on you with some other guy. She used you for sex. She's just like the other girls you've been with. You are better off without her, without all of them, I swear," Michael reminded gently, rubbing Will's back._

 _ **In hopes you're on the other side**_

 _ **Talking to me too**_

 _Ring Ring_

 _Ring Ring_

 _Hey, you've reached my voice mail. I'm not available right now, so, like, leave a message and I swear I'll call you back!_

 _BEEP_

 _"Hey, this is Will. I just want to hear your voice…"_

 _ **Or am I a fool**_

 _ **Who sits alone**_

 _ **Talking to the moon…**_

With the final note, a silence fell over the room. You could hear the clock ticking on the far wall. Women were in tears, men were staring at their beers. Then, like a great roar, the sound of applause crashed through the room. Will just stood up, ignoring the people surrounding the stage filling the tip jar. He grabbed his apron and headed back to the counter.

Will was mopping the floors when a man walked in. Everyone had left a couple minutes ago, and even though the bar wasn't _technically_ closed, Will knew only assholes or troublemakers ever came in this late. Will looked up from his cleaning to acknowledge the man.

"Can I help you, sir?" Will asked, glancing up and down the man's body. He was wearing a black pin-stripe suit, complimented by a silvery grey tie and equally grey hat. The man set a briefcase on the table next to Will.

"Are you Will Solace?" the man asked.

"Yes, that's me," Will answered, cautiously. A huge grin grew on the face of the man. He walked forward, eagerly.

"My name is Leo. I represent the music company _9 Muses._ I was wondering if you could help me."

Will's mouth fell open. What did a recording label want with him? Surely he wasn't _that_ good, and he only sang the one song. Will motioned at Leo to sit down, which he did. Will sat across from him, staring at him. "How can I help you?"

"Well, the company is looking for new artists, and they told us to go out and look for someone that might fit the criteria that _9 Muses_ looks for," Leo explained, "and your show tonight was great."

Will just stared at him. Was he implying what Will thought? Surely this guy wasn't here to give him a recording deal…

"So I was wondering if you wanted to visit the recording studio?"

Will blinked. He let out a huge breath that he didn't even know he was holding and leaned back in his chair. Leo's eyes lit up.

"We could record a demo, and then send it off to the big heads. If they like what they hear, and I bet they will, then you could get yourself a contract." Leo explained, smiling. He reached down and opened his briefcase, pulling out some papers. "Here's a list of the benefits of signing with _9 Muses_."

Will took the piece of paper and slowly read through it. What was even happening right now? Was this real? The list included a pay over four times what he received now, granted he met the album quota on time. Wow. That was a _lot_ of money. He could finally pay to get a new car, maybe even go back to school. The company also paid for medical stuff, like dental and basic health care. This was a big step in the right direction…

It hadn't registered to Will that Leo had addressed him until he heard him clear his throat. Will looked up to expectant eyes.

"U-um," Will stuttered, "Can you give me some time?"

"Of course!" Leo grinned. He shut the briefcase and stood up. "Here's my card. Call me when you're ready."

Will mumbled his thanks and watched as Leo walked out of the bar. What was he going to do?

 _ **So I know this is probably the worst ending for this chapter that's already bad, but before you judge me and stuff I have some excuses.**_

 _ **I have been dealing a lot emotionally and consequently, I wasn't able to work as much. I've also had THE WORST case of writers block, which is another reason why the chapter is short BUT DON'T WORRY! I have a plan.**_

 _ **The next chapter will also be short, so sorta combine this chapter and the next chapter together. The next chapter will be written from Percy's POV, but this will be the only time you guys see him (unless you want more, then I'll gladly whip something up). After next chapter, I will be back on track and everything will run smoothly.**_

 _ **Thanks for all the great reviews! Keep them coming! The only way the story can get better is if y'all tell me what's wrong.**_

 _ **Song for the chapter: Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	3. A Reason to Live

_**Authors Note at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 3: A Reason to Live**

Percy let out a groan as he relaxed into his recliner in his office. The night had gone by really well. Will's singing had gotten him more customers, which wasn't surprising. The kid always had done an amazing job when it came to the music. He had left Will to clean and lock up, which meant he could retreat back to his comfy chair in his comfy office.

After finishing a few emails, Percy felt _really_ exhausted. This past week had been torture: the band who was supposed to be here _of course_ bailed at the last second, no one could fill in, and customers were _still_ complaining about the beach oriented bathrooms. Why the hell would a bar in the middle of a huge city like this have a beach oriented bathroom, they asked. Personally, he didn't see the problem. The beach was amazing! There was nothing wrong with the beach.

So when Will agreed to fill in the music slot, Percy had felt _so_ relieved. The kid was good. Just like his brother…

Percy shook his head. He couldn't think about this. He wouldn't. Not now. He stretched, and decided he was thirsty. As he walked to the kitchen, he glanced at the wall of photos. Most of the photos were birthday photos or celebrity visits, but there was a row specifically dedicated to the employee group. At the end of the annual Christmas rush, a photo was taken of the tired, worn out employees who despite all the chaos that they had just endured, wore a smile at the end of the day. Percy didn't try to deny that they were smiling mostly because they all got a big "surprise" at the end of the day: an added bonus to their paycheck. It was definitely well earned, since in the morning and afternoons, the café was filled with couples going on dates and in the evening, the bar was filled with singles trying to find someone. The employees didn't have time to take a break until around 4:30, when the café closed and the bar got prepped for opening. Even then, the short two hours given were barely enough to wipe down tables, clean the kitchen, set up the dining area, and scour the bar, let alone take a real break. Percy knew how hard it was for everyone to do that on a daily basis. He once had to do it himself, when he was a humble busboy. That's why he never felt bad about giving the extra money to his employees, who never complained about the work load, not to his face at least.

Making his way down the line of photos, Percy paused at an older photo, back from when he had worked as a waiter at the restaurant. He was in the middle, next to a blond kid with blue eyes. Both of their faces showed fatigue, but they both were grinning. The bar was covered in tacky Christmas ornaments, since Percy's old boss, Chiron, believed in "decorating for the season". Percy was flooded with nostalgia, and he sighed as he looked over the blond boy's smiling face.

 _"Hey, Percy," he said grinning. He ran up to Percy's table and handed him an envelope. "Here's your Christmas card."_

 _"Thanks, dude," Percy replied, grinning back. Every year, this guy gave out Christmas cards to all the employees. All of them were super cheesy, saying something like "All I want for Christmas is You!" or "Happy Holidays!" The other employees found it kind of silly, but Percy thought it was awesome that someone would put the effort of giving out Christmas cards to everyone._

 _"Everyone! I've posted the shift schedules for this evening!" Chiron called out from the back. Percy glanced up, worried._

 _"Don't worry," the boy reassured, "you have the earlier shift." Percy breathed a small sigh of relief. The earlier shifts were less harsh, which meant Percy could spend the rest of the night relaxing._

 _"What shift do you have?" Percy asked, curious._

 _"I'm on the music shift!" the boy replied, puffing his chest out with pride. The music shift meant singing a couple of songs for the entire evening on the hour. Percy wasn't surprised that the boy got the shift though. The boy could really sing._

 _"Do you mind getting me a new towel? This one is super dirty now," Percy asked._

 _"Sure thing!" the boy replied. He spun around on his heels and quickly headed back into the kitchen. Percy chuckled. He didn't have that many friends, but this guy had automatically become a beacon of friendliness as soon as he was hired. He and Percy weren't even that close, yet they weren't_ not _friends, so Percy relished his company._

Percy smiled at the memory. He turned and walked to the kitchen. After finally getting his sought after water, he turned around again and made the journey through the hallway once more. The floor creaked under his feet as he walked slowly back to his office. He didn't want to go back to work. Just like someone he knew…

 _"Where is he? He's on in seven minutes! He always does this!" Chiron angrily muttered in the backroom. Percy glanced at the clock. His friend was cutting it close._

 _"Exactly," Percy said, "He always does this. And how many times has he let you down?" Chiron looked up. His eyes were filled with weariness, but there was a spark there that wasn't there before._

 _"Never. He's never let me down," Chiron replied with a smile. "I'm sure he'll turn up." Percy grinned before he turned around and headed back into the thrall of the dining room. They were at the peak of the dinner rush. People were lining up at the front, waiting semi-impatiently for any of the reluctant couples to leave their tables._

Percy heard the doors to the dining room open. He glanced at his clock, confused. Technically, they weren't closed, but this late in the evening people usually were leaving, not coming in. But he didn't hear any gunshots or shouting for money, so he just shrugged and kept walking. Will could handle it. Whatever it was.

 _Now the guy really was pushing it. He had never been this late before. He was on in two minutes, and this time Percy was getting worried. Percy power walked around the restaurant, searching for his friend, but he was nowhere to be found. He couldn't have left, could he? His friend always loved performing._

 _"Yo, Perce, I can't find the busboy. Can you take this out to the dumpster for me? I promise I'll pay you back!" the chef called out. Percy was hesitant, since he was looking for his friend, but he took the bag and headed out the back door._

 _As soon as Percy opened the door, he heard grunting and muffled shouting around the corner. He quickly threw the bag into the dumpster and raced down the alley-way, intent on finding the source. Percy rounded the corner and gasped. His friend was fighting with two bigger guys! Both could have easily overpowered his friend if he wasn't so quick. Every time one of the guys threw a punch, his friend would try his best to move out of the way. He would just barely get hit, or dodge it all together. It was pretty impressive._

 _Percy ran forward and jumped, making his foot arc through the air, over his head, and onto the face of one of the attackers. The thug grunted as he stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall behind him. Percy landed squarely on his feet. He automatically raised his hands, just like he was trained to do. When his opponent punched at him, he blocked it and immediately went in for the counter attack, his fist landing hard on the thug's lower abdomen. When the attacker doubled over in pain, Percy quickly brought his knee up to meet his face. The thug collapsed, and Percy stared down at him with cold eyes._

 _He relished his victory, standing over his victim like a conqueror does with his newly acquired kingdom, until he heard the sound of his friend gasping. Percy whirled around, and stared at the knife that the second thug had pulled out. His friend's eyes were full of shock and fright, and he locked up. The knife clearly intimidated him. Percy sprang into action, spinning around and smacking his heel against the side of the thug's head. His opponent fell, dropping to the ground disoriented. Before he could react, Percy dropped down to one knee and twisted the arm that held the knife until he heard the man cry out in pain. He punched the knife out of his opponent's hand and then punched the thug's face once. The thug stopped screaming. He stood up, glancing over at his friend, who just looked at him in a mixture of shock and gratitude. Percy brushed off his friend's vest and collar before brushing off his own. "You need to go get ready for your performance. You're on in…" Percy glanced at his wrist, only to notice that he wasn't wearing a watch. He bent down once more and grabbed the wrist of one of the fallen thugs, "One minute."_

Percy sat down with a huff. His watch read 11:45, and the bar closed at 12. He sighed, not wanting to be here for another second. _Nectar Falls_ , despite being his second home, was entirely too stressful. He needed a vacation… oh well. Maybe once he had set a strong manager in his place. He picked up a pile of papers that he had been tossed on his desk and straightened them out, in a vain attempt to make his desk neater.

 _"Where the hell have you been?" Percy heard Chiron yell as he walked in. He saw his friend frantically wash his face and hands at the sink in the kitchen as Chiron towered over him, clearly furious. "Go get on stage!" Percy grimaced as he thought of the louder conversation that Chiron would have with his friend, but hastily buttoned his vest and stepped back into the dining area to wait tables. As he took the order of a couple who smelled like old fish, he heard the whine of the sound system boot up. He looked up and saw his friend, who was smiling from ear to ear. He clutched a microphone in one hand and the mic stand in the other, grinning at each of the audience members in turn._

 _"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I am the live entertainment for this evening!" He declared, bowing. Applause erupted from the tables, and a feeling of pride came upon Percy. "My name," his friend said with a wiggle of his eyebrow, "is Michael."_

"Hey, Percy?" Percy glanced up, startled. Will stood at the doorway of his office, holding a piece of paper and a business card. "I, uh, have something I want to talk to you about…" Will tentatively asked. Percy nodded, and Will sat down.

 _ **Hey y'all! I know that this chapter is seriously overdue, and I apologize. However, I now have more time because I am in between schools! Don't bother asking why, I'm not gonna tell you, but I pulled out of my school and am in the process of finding a new place. But that's good for y'all because now I have more time for writing!**_

 _ **Like I mentioned in the last chapter, this chapter is a little shorter than usual because both this chapter and the previous chapter are considered "mini-chapters". Next chapter, though, will be a normal length, and we will get back to Nico and see how he's doing. If you feel like there's a cliffhanger, you're probably right and it's safe to assume that it was intentional.**_

 _ **Please leave a comment/review below! Y'all have NO idea (unless you're a writer yourself) how much it means to get a review of ANY kind. It's literally the only way you can tell me what you want with the story, and this story is just as much your story as it is mine. Well, not quite, but your opinion matters. If you like the story, please favorite and follow! Until next time!**_


	4. Haven't Met You Yet

_**Author's note is at the end! Enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 4: Just Haven't Met You Yet**

 _Nico could hear the wind rustling through the trees as he ran through the forest. The cold breeze was hitting him directly in the face, causing his eyes to tear up, yet he simply shut his eyes and continued running forward. Suddenly, Nico felt a shift in the wind. He opened his eyes and his sprint turned into a jog, which turned into a slow walk. Nico had run into a grassy meadow that was illuminated by the full moon and what seemed like thousands of stars, all twinkling at him. He let out a small gasp of air as he felt the sheer beauty of it all._

 _ **Darling I know you're a million footsteps away**_

 _ **But maybe someday**_

 _ **I can take all those footsteps and pray that I can run to you**_

 _ **Run to you anyway**_

"CUT!" Nico jumped at the sudden outburst, but quickly recomposed himself as a big man ran up to him from behind a white curtain. "Nico, that was perfect. You ready to move on to the next location?"

"Sure," Nico replied, "but are we done shooting here? This music video has a lot of cutting back and forth. Do you have enough footage?"

"Nico, baby," the director said, smiling, "let me handle the footage. You worry about getting the choreography right, the lyrics mouthed, and the smiling." Nico tried smiling, but it came out as kind of a grimace. " _Especially_ the last part. Smile! It's Christmas!" the director added with a grin. As he turned away to bark orders to the other crew members, Travis and Connor ran up to him.

"Dude, that was a perfect take," Connor declared, clapping Nico on the back. Nico flinched, which brought a laugh from Travis.

"Honestly Nico. That was an amazing run. But now that we're done with the shots from this location, we finally can explore the area!" Travis grinned. Nico smirked at the two brothers before heading off to his trailer. The costume he was wearing was uncomfortable, and if the Stolls were planning on dragging him through town, he might as well be comfortable.

A half hour later, Nico, the Stolls, Lou-Ellen, and Cecil were driving through the country side toward town. The moon was rising and the roof of Cecil's convertible was down; tonight was a great night for a drive. Cecil was driving, and Travis and Lou-Ellen were arguing about something, but Nico couldn't care less. As soon as they had started up the car, Nico had hopped in the back seat.

"Nico what are yo…"

"No talking. Just put the roof down and let's cruise."

Soon, the small town was visible in the distance, and the topic quickly changed to thoughts of shopping and exploring.

"There's a really nice clothing outlet," Lou Ellen said excitedly, "I hope they're open this late. We should go Cecil!"

"Sure thing," Cecil replied, grinning.

"Wait! I know that look. We're going to _shop_ , not _steal_ things."

"Dang it!"

Nico and Travis laughed. Cecil was once a shop-lifter, but even though he had "given up his ways", things still had the tendency to disappear and show up in Cecil's room. They had been assigned Cecil when they had requested a musician that was more familiar with piano and strings. The result had been an unexperienced, cocky, expensive kid who had just barely been released from a short term in juvie hall.

 _"So, Nico, what's the first thing we should do as a band?" Travis asked, collapsing into the couch. They had just gotten back from their first meeting with their talent agent, Hazel. Hazel immediately made Nico smile. She reminded him of his dad, but not the boring, business part of him. She reminded him of all of the times where his dad had smiled at Nico with pride, all the times where Nico was happy around his father. She had excitedly told the three of them how she couldn't wait to start working with them, and her assistant, Frank, gently reminded her that she was_ already _working with them, which had reduced her to a grinning, flustered mess. Frank had been the one to hand them the paper work. Nico had a sense that this was how it was most of the time._

 _"We need to get a person who can play the piano and stringed instruments," Nico replied, glancing at Connor. "If we want to start making good songs, we need something to balance out the electric guitar."_

 _"Good idea, Nico!" Hazel approved. She scribbled something in her notes and pulled out her phone._

 _"Also, we should get a pizza," Nico stated before leaning back in his chair. Connor laughed and Travis grinned. Frank smirked before pulling out his phone as well._

 _Thirty minutes later, there was a hot pizza and a bunch of pictures of different people on the table in front of the boys._

 _"Who are these people, Hazel?" Connor asked, munching on his pizza._

 _"Don't talk with your mouth full," Hazel scolded, but there was a hint of humor in her voice. "These are potential pianists. Most of them also are talented in strings." She reached out and slid a picture of a younger guy, who had a haughty smirk plastered on his face. "This is Octavian. He's a prodigy. Extremely talented on the piano and strings. He has won awards and been nominated for a Grammy."_

 _"No." Everyone looked up. Nico was scowling at the picture._

 _"Why not Nico?" Frank asked gently._

 _"If he joins our group, then he'll try to make it all about him, not the music. I can already tell that he and I will not get along," Nico said, crossing his arms. Travis and Connor glanced at each other and Hazel just sighed._

 _"Can we please just put him as a maybe?" Hazel requested. Everyone turned to look at Nico, who just shrugged and went back to writing lyrics. That seemed to satisfy Hazel because she turned back to the table smiling._

 _After a while of studying all of the pictures and their descriptions, Frank spoke up._

 _"Nico, why don't you come over and pick out your top ten people? We'll audition them and if you like what you see, then we'll talk."_

They arrived in town. Much to Lou Ellen's excitement, the street was bright with Christmas lights and the shop windows were lit. Lots of people were bustling about, chattering about last minute Christmas shopping.

"Come on!" Lou Ellen cried out. She and Connor hopped out of the car, both grinning with anticipation.

"Text us when you're done!" Cecil said before starting up the car again. Lou Ellen waved and Connor gave them a thumbs up as Cecil, Travis, and Nico drove off.

"What do you want to do now?" Travis said, looking at Nico. Nico just shrugged before turning to look out the window. Cecil glanced at Travis, sharing a look before turning back to the roads. "Are you alright?" Travis asked, turning to look back at Nico.

"I'm fine," Nico said. He wasn't really in the mood to talk. Ever since they had started they're journey down the path to stardom, Nico had felt lonelier than he had before. He was glad he had his friends to hang out with and talk to, but they were his friends. Nico wanted something _more._ "Can we go get some coffee? I'm kinda tired."

"Sure," Cecil replied, "Hazel told me about this cute little café/bar thing in the southern part of town."

"Sounds good," Travis said. He turned to look at Nico. Nico nodded in agreement.

"You're buying Cecil," Nico said. Travis burst out laughing and Cecil just sighed.

 _"These are the ones I want," Nico said. Hazel looked up from her paperwork. Nico was holding a bunch of folders._

 _"Awesome! Just place them on the table there. I'll set up the audition. When do you want to do this?" Hazel asked._

 _"Three days? In the studio?" Nico suggested. Hazel nodded her approval and turned back to her work._

 _Thanks to Hazel, the auditions were held three days later in their studio. Nico, Travis, and Connor sat through nine semi-decent piano auditions, but Nico wasn't impressed._

 _"Nico, what was wrong with the last guy? He played it perfectly and he seemed really nice!" Hazel cried out, exasperated. Travis and Connor looked tired too. They had long since kicked their shoes off and were reclining on the sofa nearby._

 _"He just didn't seem right," Nico huffed, drawing his hoodie closer to him like he always did when he was frustrated. "There's one more. Can we just get this one over with?"_

 _"Sure, Nico," Hazel said, tiredly. She motioned to Frank, who poked his head outside the door and called for the final contestant._

 _"What's your name, how old are you, and why do you want this job?" Travis asked politely after the contestant sat down._

 _"My name's Cecil. I'm eighteen, and I want this job because I love making music," Cecil replied. Nico studied him intently. There was something charming about his demeanor, something that stood out to Nico that hadn't stood out among the previous auditions…_

 _"Well, do you have a piano piece for us to listen to?" Connor asked, grabbing his pen from the table._

 _"Actually, I was wondering if you could test out the music directly," Cecil replied with a smirk. "If I get the job, I need to be able to sync my music with you, so I wrote up some accompaniments to some of your songs."_

 _"Interesting," Travis said. Connor glanced at Hazel, who shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Cecil grinned, sitting down at the piano. Nico and Connor took their places behind the mics with their guitars, Nico still staring at Cecil. The way Cecil carried himself was intriguing. He didn't show any nervousness or fear, just passion for the music. Just like Nico._

 _"What song, Cecil?" Travis asked._

 _"Your pick. I composed to the key in the song as heard on the EP's."_

 _Nico's eyes flashed as he stood up, grabbing the mic. "Let's play Marvin Gaye."_

 _Travis and Connor grinned with anticipation, but Cecil's face narrowed as he focused on the music in front of him._

Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on!

 _Travis and Connor immediately got into the groove, beating the drums and strumming away with as much enthusiasm as Nico's singing._

 **You got healin' that I want**

 **Just like they sayin in the song, until the dawn**

 **Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on!**

 _Cecil came in strong, backing up the guitars with a smooth background melody. Hazel and Frank both raised their eye-brows in happy surprise._

 _"I think we found our new pianist," Frank said, smiling as he jotted down something on a clipboard._

* * *

"Hey Will, can you check the sound system one more time?" Percy called out from behind the bar.

"Sure," Will responded. He crawled onto the stage, checking microphones and double checking the speakers. Percy had set up an open stage music thing, in celebration of the Christmas spirit. How that tied together, Will had no idea, but people were interested. There was already a small crowd gathered in the café/bar. A nice drum set was set up on stage, next to a mini-grand piano. Guitars of different colors and sizes littered backstage, each prepped and ready to play. Percy put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree that occupied the other end of the bar, straightening and replacing different lights and decorations. Percy loved Christmas. It was just such a happy holiday (according to Percy), and thus every year _Nectar Falls_ went all out. Percy broke out the eggnog and cookies, which were always popular in the winter season. Will thought it a little ridiculous, but nevertheless, he always loved this season too.

Will finished his impromptu inspection of the stage and equipment and headed to the back room to change into his waiter uniform. He nodded hi to Chef Clarisse, who was an amazing cook with a temper to match the heat of the oven she worked with, and quickly re-emerged dressed and ready for the inevitable action.

As Will stepped outside, he saw three younger guys walk in and sit down. He walked up to them, opening with the standard "Welcome to _Nectar Falls,_ what can I get you?"

"We'll have a mocha latte," one of the three said, motioning across the table to one of the other guys.

"I'll have coffee. Black," the third one said. Will raised his eyebrows but nodded, jotting down the request. None of the three looked quite interested in Will, but were rather looking around the room, taking in all the crazy things hanging from the walls and ceiling. The one who ordered black coffee was just staring at his hands, obviously in deep thought. He had long black hair, and wore black fingerless gloves. His dark t-shirt and torn jeans gave him a rough edge that Will found surprisingly attractive. Will shook his head; he didn't have time to be thinking about such things. He had a job to do.

The order was quickly completed, and the three guys were sipping contentedly on their drinks when Percy stepped up to the mic. The restaurant had filled up fast, and some let out a cheer when Percy smiled from onstage.

"Hello and welcome to _Nectar Falls_!" Percy said, grinning from ear to ear. "This is open mic night! Feel free to come up and use any of the instruments on stage! Backstage you'll find guitars and extra microphones!" This was met with scattered applause and small cheering, but once Percy stepped down, no one got up to get on stage. Percy looked around, and quickly pulled Will aside.

"Will, go up there and break the ice! Go sing something!" Percy asked, looking at Will with those puppy eyes that Will could never resist.

"Ugh, fine. But you owe me," Will said. Percy smiled again once more as Will grabbed a guitar and walked onstage. As he looked out at the crowd, he noticed the three guys were arguing amongst each other, the two mocha latte guys trying to persuade the black coffee guy to do something. Whatever.

"Uh, hi everyone," Will said. He didn't expect much of a response, so he focused on thinking of a song he could sing. He looked around the room again, trying to find something to draw inspiration from. Wait. It was Christmas. Duh. Will strummed the guitar, closing his eyes as he got into the music.

 _ **I'm dreaming of a white Christmas**_

 _ **Just like the one's I used to know**_

 _ **Where the treetops glisten**_

 _ **And children listen**_

 _ **To hear sleigh-bells in the snow…**_

Most people had stopped talking, even the three guys had stopped arguing, but Will didn't notice. This wasn't about them. This was about the music.

 _ **I'm dreaming of a white Christmas**_

 _ **With every Christmas card I write**_

 _ **May your days be merry and bright**_

 _ **And may all your Christmases be white!**_

It was a shorter song, but it did what Percy wanted. After Will finished, everyone stood up and cheered.

* * *

"See Nico! It's not that bad! Could we _please_ sing? It would be fun!" Cecil and Travis pleaded with Nico. Nico didn't hear them, however. He was too busy staring at the wonder that had been presented on stage. Who was that golden haired boy with the voice of an angel? Nico hadn't felt this sensation of hot butterflies in his stomach in a very long time, but it wasn't a bad feeling. It was a feeling that made him feel giddy with longing and nervousness.

"Uh…sure. Let's go sing," Nico said, suddenly eager to make his presence known to the mysterious singer. He was oblivious to Travis and Cecil's mini celebration, and barely noticed when they pulled him toward the stage. He _did_ however notice the cute singer look up from his station to glance at Nico. Nico blushed a little, and quickly grabbed a mic and guitar and stepped forward.

"Haven't met you yet?" Travis whispered from behind the drums. Cecil, seated at the piano, and Nico both nodded. Cecil grinned and started playing the upbeat tempo of the song, followed soon by Travis's beat.

 _ **I'm not surprised, not everything lasts**_

 _ **I've broken my heart so many times I've stopped keepin' track**_

 _ **Talked myself in**_

 _ **I've talked myself out**_

 _ **I get all worked up then I let myself down**_

The three were an instant hit. The crowd went nuts, cheering and gathering around the stage. Nico glanced at the blonde beauty, who was staring at him with a look of interest. This was going in the right direction…

 _ **And I know someday that'll all turn out**_

 _ **You make me work so we can work to work it out**_

 _ **And I promise you kid that I'll get so much more than I get**_

 _ **I just haven't met you yet**_

The restaurant had turned into a mini concert. Those from the outside had started to notice the commotion, and more people were starting to enter. Nico didn't care though. He and the blond guy had made eye contact several times, and Nico was starting to blush more.

 _ **And I know that we could be so amazin'**_

 _ **And being in your life is gonna change me**_

 _ **And now I can see every single possibility**_

It was just Nico and the waiter. The cheering of the crowd didn't get to Nico: he was focused on the reaction of one specific person.

 _ **Oh you know it'll all turn out**_

 _ **And you make me work so we can work to work it out**_

 _ **And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get**_

 _ **I just haven't met you yet!**_

As Nico wrapped up the song, he closed his eyes and grinned, feeling the rush of the music. He looked up, his chest and his face filling with glee as he saw the blonde waiter cheering and smiling at him. He had such a beautiful smile...

"Dude that was awesome!" Travis yelled, practically tackling Nico, forcing him to stumble forward and out of his thoughts. He laughed with Travis and Cecil, and headed back to their table.

"This place would be perfect for a shot in the music video," Cecil hummed, sipping his drink. Travis looked around, his eyes sparkling.

Cecil and Travis pulled Nico into a fast discussion and calls to Hazel about music video locations, but all throughout the flurry of calls, Nico kept glancing back at the waiter, who seemed oblivious to his stares now.

* * *

"Will!"

Will looked up. Leo Valdez stood looking at him, grinning.

"I saw your performance. Again, that was amazing. You have a talent for this," Leo gushed. Will smiled gratefully, but he knew the real reason for Leo's visit wasn't for coffee and cookies.

"How can I help you, Mr. Leo?" Will asked, wiping off a now empty table.

"I'm here for your answer," Leo replied, opening his briefcase. " _9 Muses_ is very eager for your response."Will stared at the briefcase. There was so much that would change…

 _Will sighed as he walked down the corridor toward the break room. The day had been a long day. Not only was work difficult, but he had also been offered a record deal! There wasn't much he wanted to do other than get a good night's rest, but time didn't offer that. He thought about what he should do. If he accepted the record deal, he would have to quit his job at_ Nectar Falls _, and he kinda liked it here. But if he declined, he would be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. This was a life altering decision. He decided that he needed help with this, and he could think of no other person to ask than Percy. Percy had been close to his brother, right? He trusted Percy, and Percy had always seemed to care for him. He walked toward Percy's office and stopped at the doorway. Percy was seated at his desk, looking over paperwork, but he looked occupied with something else._

 _"Hey Percy?" Will called out. Percy jumped, startled. Will clutched the business card and informal contract Leo had given him in his hands. "I, uh, have something I want to talk to you about." Will said, shakily. Percy nodded, and Will sat down in the chair in front of Percy's desk._

 _"What is it, Will? Something troubling you?" Percy asked kindly._

 _"I… I was offered a contract…. by_ 9 Muses _…" Will stammered. He handed Percy the paperwork, his hands shaking. He was beyond nervous for some reason. He didn't know why he was shaking so much. "I wanted to know your opinion on the matter."_

 _"Well," Percy said, looking over the contract, "I think you would be extremely foolish to turn down an offer as good as this." Will nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "But if you leave, I will be very sad to see you go," Percy added with a sad smile._

 _"Should I stay or should I go?" Will asked. Percy just leaned back in his chair and sighed._

 _"That isn't a decision I can and should make. This is up to you," Percy replied, looking into Will's eyes, "But you should do what your heart tells you."_

"So, what is your decision?" Leo asked. Will looked at Leo and smiled.

"Yes."

 _ **Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took such a long time for this to get out, but I'm actually proud that I got it finished before Christmas.**_

 _ **After the New Year starts and school starts back up again, I'll slow down a little, but not that much. I just went through a school change that took a while to get used to, but once the second semester starts I should be able to find more time.**_

 _ **The many songs used in this chapter are "Darling" by MAX (I'll use this song more in the future, just fyi), "White Christmas", and "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé. I do not own these songs.**_

 _ **Please leave a review below! This story lives off of y'all's imput. Y'all don't know how much I love seeing reviews and comments from y'all, and I take everything that you say into consideration when I'm writing the story.**_

 _ **Next chapter, we'll see Nico and crew negotiating with Percy on letting them use his café/bar for a music video location, and we'll see the details of Will's acceptance. I honestly have no idea when it'll come out, but thank you so much for sticking with this story! Happy Holidays! Until next time!**_


	5. A Million Years Ago

**Chapter 5: A Million Years Ago**

Will felt… well he didn't know how he felt. He felt happy and excited, but he also felt nervous and a little queasy. Not ten minutes ago he had accepted the job offer of a life time: to record music at _9 Muses_ , one of the biggest record labels of all time. It was going to be an interesting story to tell in the end, at least.

He had sat down at the bar going through the immense amount of paper-work that Leo, the _9 Muses_ talent agent, had given him, but just the first page left his head swimming in confusion. Will didn't know what half of these terms were _pronounced_ , much less what they meant. To his relief, he heard his name being called.

"Will! Can you come over here for a minute?" Percy called out from the kitchen. Will gathered up his paperwork and stuffed it in the folder before heading to the back.

"Hey Percy, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Percy replied, smiling. "I saw you talking to that Leo guy. Did you take the offer?" Will held up the bulging folder.

"Yep. This is the paper-work." Will flipped the folder open, revealing the many stapled documents. "Could you… uh… maybe help me with it? I don't know what anything says," Will asked Percy sheepishly. It felt really awkward asking his now-boss to help with the paper-work for a new job, but Percy just shrugged.

"Sure, no problem. Clock out and then head to my office."

Will nodded and made his way to the back of the kitchen. After he clocked out, he walked down the hallway that lead to Percy's office. Will glanced at the pictures hanging from the walls: past employees grinning and posing for the annual employee photo. He strolled to a stop as he saw a familiar face. His brother, Michael, was grinning in a tacky Christmas sweater with Percy. Both looked a lot younger, but Michael still had that twinkle in his eyes that always made everyone smile.

"That was a fun year."

Will jumped and spun around. Percy was leaning against the opposite wall, staring at the wall of photos with a look of nostalgic wonder.

"It feels like so long ago," Percy sighed. He reached out and touched the picture frame, which was covered in signatures that Will hadn't noticed before. Will found his brother's almost instantly. He had always found Michael's curvy yet edgy handwriting beautiful, if not distinct.

Will glanced at Percy, who was smiling. Yet the smile on Percy's face wasn't the same as the one in the picture. Was it because he was older now than he was before? Will studied Percy's face, searching for the answer. Percy looked up, and coughed, and straightened his hair before stepping back again.

"We should get started on that paper-work. C'mon," Percy said, gesturing toward his office. As Will walked down the hallway with Percy, he kept thinking about what was different between Picture-Percy and Present-Percy. As he watched Percy enter his office, he realized what it was. Percy seemed genuinely more tired now than he did now. Which made sense, since he ran the restaurant now. That _must_ be it.

Percy sat down in his chair with a grunt. He cleared away some of the many piles of papers that cluttered his desk and grabbed a highlighter.

"Let me see your contract," Percy said, reaching out. Will sat down in front of Percy's desk and handed Percy the papers. While Percy read over his new contract, Will looked around the room. He had only been in the room a couple of times, and not for very long. The walls were covered in nick-nacks, celebrity pictures, and old bookshelves filled with even older books. Behind Percy's desk were filing cabinets, and on Percy's desk amidst the clutter sat a photo of a blonde woman with shockingly grey eyes. _She must be his girlfriend_ , Will thought.

"So basically, what this contract is saying is that you won't sell anything you aren't supposed to, you won't go to another record company, and that you get a lot of money," Percy stated, ripping Will from his train of thought. "In other words: you sing, they sell, you make some money, they make some money." Will nodded, and Percy tossed the contract back at him.

"Seems fair," Will replied, glancing over the contract again before putting it back in the folder. Percy sighed, and leaned back in his chair.

"So, this is it, huh. The end of one life and the start of another?" Percy smirked. Will just shrugged.

"I guess so."

"Well good luck," Percy said. He reached under his desk and pulled out an unopened bottle of whiskey and two glasses. To Will's surprise, Percy popped open the bottle and poured both him and Will a drink. "To your future."

Will clinked his glass with Percy's and downed the alcohol. He didn't normally drink, but he could hold his own. He closed his eyes, savoring the burn of the drink while remembering his life at the bar/café. He would miss the bar and the coffee, the mini-stage and the instruments. He would miss the kitchen where he would clock in and out. He would even miss the pictures on the wall.

Will looked up at Percy. Percy had always been there for him, no matter what was happening. He was there training him on his first day, he was there when he first picked up the microphone, and he was there when he needed help with literally anything. Will had sometimes wondered why Percy always gave him his support. Before this _9 Muses_ thing, Will had always just been another worker who sometimes filled in for the normal music guy. He always bussed the tables like he should, but Percy always acted like Will had done something like won an Academy Award or something. Why would he do that? Now, Percy was staring into his glass, slowly rotating the cup and watching the leftover droplets of whiskey swirl around the bottom. What was the deal? He knew Percy was, at least at one point, really good friends with his older brother Michael. But then, of course, there was _the incident_. No one ever told Will what really happened, but Percy might know…. maybe.

"Hey, Percy?" Will asked tentatively. Percy grunted in acknowledgement, but didn't look up. "What happened with my brother?" Percy went still. After a couple of seconds, he sighed and poured another drink. "I just never found out," Will stammered, "and Dad wouldn't tell me and I know you and Michael were close so…"

"It's a long story," Percy sighed. He downed the rest of his drink and refilled the glass before meeting Will's expectant gaze.

* * *

 _It had been a long morning, yet Percy was in a great mood. He had gotten an unusually large amount of tips from the diners, and Michael had stolen everyone's hearts with the way he sang. In the mornings he sang fast paced songs full of hard vocal rifts, which of course he handled expertly, while in the evenings he tended to sing softer slower ballads with long sustained notes. He had been singing weekends for almost two months now, and the crowds had loved it. Everyone who arrived came back the next weekend with friends. Soon, the restaurant was the most popular place in town, with teenagers visiting every day for coffee in the morning and pizza after school, couples coming in for dates every night, and many adults using the private ambiance for work meetings or just a quiet place to get some work done._

 _Chiron had unofficially retired a couple of years ago, leaving the place in the charge of a man who everyone called Mr. D, though he often stayed at the café helping clean and giving advice to new employees. Mr. D was a cynical, often impatient man, but he knew what he was doing, and quickly took advantage of the large crowd to get introduce new drinks and food items to the public. Needless to say, the additions to the menu were almost overwhelmingly successful._

 _Percy was getting ready for the lunch rush when two police officers walked into the restaurant._

 _"Good morning, officers," Percy greeted enthusiastically. The men smiled and offered their "good morning" replies. Percy waited until they sat down at one of the tables before walking up with a pot of hot coffee. "Would you like some coffee?" Percy asked, smiling down at the uniformed men._

 _"No, thank-you," the officers both answered politely. After they had placed their order, Percy went back to wiping down the tables and prepping for the lunch rush._

 _As he scrubbed furiously at a stubborn stain on a nearby table, he overheard the officers._

 _"It just seems like the Chief is making a big deal out of nothing."_

 _"It's a gang war! It's one of the biggest things that's happened in this town besides that other kid's singing."_

 _"Perhaps, but I think Chief Clarisse is taking it a little too far. I'm already working a double shift and now she wants me to work night hours too? My wife's already giving me a hard time about coming home late."_

 _"Once this is whole thing blows over…"_

 _"IF this thing blows over. Sometimes these things last for years."_

 _"Hopefully this one won't. I hear Major Crimes has already located The Titans' leader's place. Maybe we'll make an arrest soon."_

 _"Maybe."_

 _Percy quickly finished the rest of the table and hurried back to the kitchen. A gang war? What was that all about? Percy didn't know there were any gangs at all in the small town, much less a gang war._

 _"Something the matter Percy?" Chiron asked, looking at Percy with a look of concern._

 _"I don't know what to think of this 'gang war' business," Percy admitted. He set the bottle of cleaner down and started washing his hands. Chiron leaned against the war and sighed._

 _"Sometimes, I don't either. This is a hard world we live in. And with The Titans and The Campers at each other's throats, sometimes I worry about you kids."_

 _"Don't worry about us, Chiron," Michael said, stepping around the corner and flinging his arm around Percy's shoulder. "We can handle ourselves!" Michael grinned. Percy just shook his head, but he was smiling too._

 _After Chiron walked away, Michael turned to look at Percy._

 _"Hey, so I'm heading out to go shopping for my little brother… can you come with me?" Michael asked, looking at Percy with big puppy eyes. "I would love the help! And it would be a break from the restaurant. What do you say?"  
"Sure," Percy nodded. Michael's eyes lit up and a huge grin grew on his face._

 _"Thanks Perce! I'll go grab my stuff and clock out. I'll meet you at the front of the shop!" Michael ran toward the lockers, leaving Percy standing in the kitchen. Percy sighed. What had he gotten himself into?_

 _Thirty minutes later, Percy and Michael were walking through town, window shopping for something amazing for Michael's younger brother._

 _"So, what's the special occasion?" Percy asked Michael, "Why are we buying a gift for your brother?"_

 _"Well, Dad sent me a check, telling me to buy something for both of us, so_ technically _Dad's buying a gift," Michael explained, "But he's so busy with work and everything that he doesn't really have time to go shopping." Percy nodded in understanding, peering into more windows. "Plus, Dad doesn't really know who we are," Michael added, "He knows what we're doing, sorta, and where we generally are, but he doesn't really know us. That's kinda the second reason why_ I'm _buying the gift for my brother and not Dad."_

 _Michael laughed a little, but Percy just stayed silent. He had never really been close to his father, either. His dad had left him before he had been born, and even though they had reconnected, he was still quite distant from him. He still loved going to see him and talking and hanging out, but they weren't as close as Percy would have liked. Also, Percy wasn't his father's only kid. His father had had other children with different women over the past couple of years, and while Percy certainly wasn't the first (a guy named Triton was the oldest, not a complete jerk, but he had his moments), he wasn't the last. He had at least one younger brother, whom he adored. Tyson was definitely Percy's favorite half-sibling. He was stronger than he looked, both emotionally and physically, but was actually really sweet and caring._

 _While Michael's dad sent them gifts every so often, Percy's dad hadn't sent him anything. He had gotten a pen at one point, but no matter how hard Percy tried to get rid of it, it always managed to show up on his desk again. Percy kinda liked it because it was pretty, but it never did write really well. Just kinda sliced through the paper._

 _Percy heard Michael gasp. Percy spun around, hands quickly forming fists, but Michael was standing in front of a beautiful guitar._

 _"Oh my GOD! This guitar is the most perfect thing for Will!" Michael squealed, gazing lovingly at the instrument. Percy let out a small sigh of relief, and slowly unclenched his hands. He had to admit, the guitar was a beauty. It was a slick acoustic guitar, already fitted with a jack plug. The wood was polished and when Michael strummed a chord, the sound resonated in Percy's ears._

 _While Michael chatted with a store employee, Percy glanced at the price tag._

 _"Uh, Michael?"_

 _"Yeah, what's up?" Michael said, browsing different guitar strings_

 _"Did you see the price?"_

 _"Don't worry about the price, dude. Dad gave me a blank check."_

 _Percy opened his mouth to say something, but then he shut it. Of course the CEO of_ Haiku Music Records _would send a blank check. He smiled at Michael._

 _"You should totally buy it. Will would love it and you forever." Michael looked up at Percy, his eyes full of a mixture of worry and wonder._

 _"You really think so?" Michael asked._

 _"I know so," Percy reassured. Michael beamed and grabbed the guitar._

 _"Thanks a lot, Perce. I can't wait to give it to him!" Percy just laughed._

* * *

Percy looked up. Will was gazing at him with such an intense stare that it startled him. A single tear was rolling down Will's cheek.

"You okay?" Percy asked, hesitantly. Will just nodded before wiping his face with his hand.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just caught up in all of it, I guess," Will answered. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. "So you helped Michael buy the guitar, but that isn't the end of the story, is it?"

Percy shook his head. "No, it's not."

 _ **Hey, y'all. I'm SO SORRY it took me four months to make an update. Things got a little crazy. I had a lot of school work that I had to get done and then I was going out of town for all of this other stuff. It's been a little rough.**_

 _ **But here's the update! The next update shouldn't take me that long to upload since I've already got it outlined and stuff. But no promises… the sad truth is that writing has kinda been on the backburner while I've been focusing on school. It might be a while before I update.**_

 _ **If I do post anything within the next couple of months it will be a Solangelo one-shot that I've been cooking up when I didn't work on this, so we'll see.**_

 _ **Title is taken from Adele's beautiful song "Million Years Ago". I didn't write it and I don't claim it as my own.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much for your comments and reviews! I truly do love it when you talk to me, and I would love it if you did it again! Until next time!**_


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